Early Harappan, Chalcolithic, Buddhist and Gupta remains found in counrty-wide excavation works

NEW DELHI: Early Harappan and historical, Chalcolithic, Buddhist and Gupta remains have been found during the recent excavation works carried out in various parts of the country, the government told the Lok Sabha today.

In a reply to a question, Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma said that the archaeological excavation conducted at Kayar in Yavatmal district at Maharashtra in 2014-15.

Excavations at the site indicates that the site, being a multicultural nature with fortification, was flourishing during the period especially from the Proto-historic to the Early Historical period, he said.

Sharma said, two cultural assemblage were found during the excavation in Binjore of Shri Ganga Nagar district in Rajasthan during the last fiscal.

Early-Harappan and mature-Harappan represented by various antiquities such as fish-hook, arrowheads, knife, celt, bangles, terracotta bangles, faience bangles, shell bangles, beads of carnelian, agate, faience, gold foil and ring, terracotta toy and frame, cake mustika and bull figurine.

In Rukministhan of Nalanda at Bihar, the mound revealed several structures like votive stupas, brick walls, steps to the north of the temple containing colossal image of Buddha and rammed floors, the minister said.

"These structures as per their nature and associated antiquities and potteries are ranging from Gupta to Pala period," Sharma said referring to excavations in Nalanda.

As far as excavations in Suabarei in Odisha are concerned he said that the excavation has proved that it was an important Neo-Chacolithic site in between Daya River and Gangua rivulet.

A single shark tooth found from the excavation suggests some sort of probable sea link, he added.

On the other hand, excavations in Vadnagar in Gujarat, he said, the earliest deposit of the sites goes back the first and second century BCE at Baba-no Tekdo locality as more than 300 coins of various metals and alloys such as copper, lead, potin, billon of different periods have been found during the course of excavation.

During an excavation in Keeladi of Madurai district, the Minister said that the site has revealed early historic remains (third BCE - third CE) in the form of brick structures and also evinced interesting finds like Rouletted and Arretine pot sherds suggesting trade contacts maintained by this settlement with western world.